Anyone who's ever held up a heavy poster frame while someone else takes agonizing seconds to decide if it's level will appreciate the x-Ar robotic arm. According to the company behind it, Equipois, the x-Ar is the world's first "exoskeletal arm support system," created to eliminate the weight of tools and the wearer's arm so tedious, repetitive labor isn't as tiring.

"The x-Ar is the first technology that utilizes an exoskeleton to increase the human arm's stamina and strength," Eric Golden, President and CEO of Equipois, said in a press release. "We believe that the human hand guided by the human brain is the most powerful and versatile tool ever created. The x-Ar enhances that tool, rather than trying to mimic or replace it, and should significantly impact the workplace across diverse industries."

The arm is conceptually simple. Just slip your forearm into the arm (which is anchored to the floor or a table), turn it on, and the system supports the weight of your arm as well as any "small objects" in your hand (so don't expect to be lifting furniture with this). From the company's demo video (shown below), which shows wearers using the x-Ar to perform such incredible feats as moving a hammer from one side of a desk to the other and lifting a fork full of rice curry, it's clear the x-Ar is intended to be used as a fatigue reducer rather than a strength augmenter. A rep from Equipois told PCMag that the arm supprts up to 15 pounds of weight.

The company cites surgeons, lab technicians, and assembly workers as some of the potential beneficiaries of the system, which is based on Equipois' mechanical technology called zeroG. Really, any job that requires repeated arm movements, especially while lifting objects, would benefit from the arm.

Without needing to stress arm muscles to support any weight, the wearer can focus on precise movements. It's no coincidence that the x-Ar works the same way as a Steadicam, which lets movie directors precisely move and pan a heavy camera, since both systems were created by the same person: Garrett Brown. Next up for the technology is developing a system that allows disabled people to use their arms and legs, says the company.

The company is showing the x-Ar this week at the Applied Ergonomics Conference in Orlando, and it'll be available for purchase in "early June." The Equipois rep said the cost of a single arm is between $2,000 and $3,000, depending on options added.